


let us survive for another day

by Tobi_Black



Series: Let Us 'verse [3]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Clone Rebellion, Gen, Post-Order 66, Strong Female Characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 05:57:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15333315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tobi_Black/pseuds/Tobi_Black
Summary: Asajj had spent the last fifteen years without a single sighting of a Jedi. Intentionally.A favor for an old ally changes that.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place con-currently with the second chapter of let us steal a better end

**5 BBY**

Asajj was not a nice person. She was well aware of this, and almost proud of the fact.

It meant that there were few that would _dare_ cross her – and as long as she stayed off the Empire’s radar, she could essentially live her life as _she_ wanted, because Sidious appeared as if he could care less about her, and his new pet Vader had been running around across the galaxy hunting any Jedi that had survived Order 66.

Fifteen years was a long time to be on the run from an Empire that had little interest in tracking her down, but she didn’t dare let her guard down. Life had been too cruel to her for her to trust differently than that the moment she stopped expecting a knife in the back, she would get one.

It had kept her alive throughout her ‘apprenticeship’ with Dooku, and through the Clone Wars. It had kept her alive since.

Her number one rule was putting number one first, and take no unnecessary risk in ensuring her own survival. The only exception she’d made had been when she’d struck out on her own against Dooku, and that had nearly cost her life.

If Skywalker hadn’t killed him, she would have died trying.

Her one major exception had led to another, and amongst chaos, she’d allied with the enemy of her enemy and helped _Skywalker_ ’s baby Jedi, escape Mandalore when the Republic had died, and the Jedi had become a hunted breed and any Force-user was just as likely to be killed just for existing. Their escape had been mutually beneficial, if a pain due to the Togruta’s refusal to leave behind the clones with her.

It had been a major pain, but nothing compared to the long-lasting effects of her choice to work with her.

Because, for all that the baby Jedi had grown up into a fearsome woman, one she almost respect, if her part in the woman’s survival was found out, she would be a _much_ higher priority for the Empire.

Which was constantly a risk, as the Togruta _persisted_ in keeping in contact.

It annoyed her a great deal that no matter how many times she ditched things, started up anew as one bounty hunter or another, that the most time that had gone between the Togruta’s one-sided communications was that first few years. Otherwise, two months and the woman managed to get back in contact one way or another.

It annoyed her even more that the woman would occasionally send her information about a job she’d taken, or when someone figured out who she was and decided she was worth turning into the Empire for a reward, she would get a warning. It meant that she _owed_ the Togruta, and she did _not_ like owing anyone anything.

But the damn woman would not ask for anything. She’d be pleased when occasionally, _rarely_ , Asajj passed some information back, but the woman _did not ask_.

Which made the fact that fifteen years on, the Togruta _asked for a favor_ rather unusual.

And of course, it wasn’t just a ‘favor’ like kill some politician or steal some sensitive information which would have been _easy_.

Instead, the favor was to go to Ilum, pick up a stow-away there, and drop him off at Lothal, where someone else would pick him up to take him the rest of the way to the Togruta. If it wasn’t for how over the years, she’d come to owe the Togruta more than the Togruta owed her, having saved her skin a good dozen times – once or twice from the likes of the Inquisitor and Vader himself – Asajj would have refused out of hand. But she did.

So here she was, on this polar ice cap of a planet, very unhappy as the wind tried to strip the flesh from her bones and freeze her blood in her veins.

She grumbled and swore as she stomped her way through the snow to the cave the Togruta had given her directions to. Only to swear some more when she saw that the only way into the cave was to use the Force to shift a giant boulder aside.

Something that was risky to attempt in the current political climate – Vader was a bit of a blood-hound when it came to finding any Force-sensitives if he was on the planet, but if he knew a Force signature, he could recognize it from just being in the same system. And he knew her signature well after how many times she’d been pitted against non-Sith-him’s Master.

It was a risk she had to take though, the Togruta had mentioned that she had a narrow window to get in and out before someone tracked down this person and killed them. At a bit of prodding, the Togruta had elaborated that a source in the Empire had informed a friend of hers about this hit, and she’d determined it was worth the risk to interfere.

Then, after she stomped her way into the dark cave and been blinded moments later by all the Kyber crystal singing and calling and wailing around her, as a thin, almost emaciated Kiffar man with long dark dreadlocks slipped out of the shadows to ignite a green lightsaber, she’d cursed every member of the Togruta’s lineage a thousand back.

The man met her eyes defiantly, then frowned as he recognized her, “Ventress.”

She sneered, “Jedi. I’m surprised you’re still alive, but then again, so is Kenobi last I heard. You guys are a bit like cockroaches apparently and just keep popping out of the woodwork.”

The man perked up, letting his ‘saber relax some, “Obi-Wan?” – before he began to mutter to himself as he darted about as fast as his frame would let him with much of his muscle mass gone – “I thought his presence was still around. Our pair-bond hadn’t broken, but it’s been so silent and he’s hard to notice in the Force. So very hard to even register as alive, but not yet one with the Force like so many others.”

Asajj just leaned back and watched him grab things and toss it in an old, worn-out kit, “Vader is still hunting for him, but fifteen years he’d managed to stay hidden without a trace. He’s not why I’m here though.”

The man waved her off, “If you were aiming to kill me, you would have. If you were aiming to capture me, you would have made a move by now. So why _are_ you here?”.

She glanced back into the snow, trying to get a sense of any incoming but the Force was as muddled as it had been since the rise of the Empire, “I was contracted to escort you to a friend. You remember Kenobi’s grand-padawan?”.

He stared at her for a moment, a desperate sort of hope in his dark eyes, “Lil’ Ahsoka is still alive?”.

She shrugged, “Somehow. She managed to be away from any of the clone troopers when the order went out and was able to slip away in the chaos. Dunno how she’s managed to stay alive so long with Vader looking for her almost as badly as he is for Kenobi.”

He smiled, “Ahsoka was always a scrapper. Smart and resourceful. Good with people. Her whole line is full of survivors.”

Asajj looked away when the cave seemed to ring with his unspoken _just like you_.

She was saved from responding to that by a sudden jarring twist in the Force that felt like sandpaper.

They both jolted, and Asajj didn’t hesitate to grab the Jedi’s things, “We need to leave. Now!” – before grabbing him by the arm and dragging him a few steps before he got his feet beneath him.

Asajj turned, raising one hand to seal the cave behind them just as they saw for just a moment, a man in a dark hard body-suit breathe heavily through his helmet, followed by ten stormtroopers.

The man was panting in moments as he led the way deeper into the caves, “Follow me. The caves will confuse him and give us time to get to the secondary exit I spent far too long scrapping out since my exile here.”

Asajj sneered at the way his step was unsteady and his breathes were gasping, “Did you not also bother to keep yourself in shape, Jedi?”.

He returned the sneer, “It was a secondary concern considering how little there is to eat here. It’s not exactly Coruscant with food able to be found any ten feet if you looked.”

She didn’t respond to that as she pushed him to jog faster, hearing stone grind and shift before a raspy voice echoed darkly, “ ** _Find them_**.”

They didn’t speak as he led them deeper and deeper into the caves.


	2. Chapter 2

They didn’t dare slow down as the sounds of booted feet echoed around them, even at the risk of giving their own location away.

The caves both smothered and amplified any noise, which helped and hindered them because even as the Jedi led the way with a single-minded purpose, she twisted and turned at each sound that seemed to come from behind them, gripping her blaster tight.

She didn’t dare draw her ‘sabers, not yet.

A greater part of her wanted to stay and fight, because she’d never run from a fight unless she was forced to, but Vader was the opponent that awaited her. She had fought him fifteen years ago during the Wars, and she’d never won – she’d never won against Kenobi either, but he hadn’t won either so she still held it as a victory.

She’d come unnervingly close to death several times by his hand then, and she valued her life more than her pride so she would do everything she could to not fight him again.

The Jedi in front of her froze moments before a ‘trooper with stripes of blue on white rounded a corner.

She raised her blaster but before she could fire a shot, the ‘trooper lowered his own blaster and removed his bucket.

The older man – a clone, she could recognize a face even if she could not tell which considering the thousands upon thousands there’d been – gave a heart-broken smile, sad dark eyes intent on the Jedi, “General Vos.”

Vos didn’t look much better, body tense and face wary, but his eyes were sad, “Bly, have you come to kill me too?”.

Asajj sneered at how Vos didn’t raise his ‘saber as he said that, “I could care less about your death wish, Jedi, but I was asked to deliver you _alive_.” – holstering the blaster as she drew her ‘sabers and ignited them to cast the two of them in red light – “So that’s not happening.”

Bly watched her warily, but still didn’t raise his blaster, before looking again at Vos, “No. I couldn’t. _Ner jetti_ would never forgive me once I’ve marched away and we meet again on the other side.”

Vos only started walking again when she shoved his shoulder, moving slowly as he held Bly’s gaze while the clone made to follow despite how she kept her ‘saber raised between them, “But Aayla? You killed _her_. She _loved_ you. And you cut her down. Why can’t you kill _me_?”.

Bly’s eyes squeezed shut for a moment – and Asajj stared for a moment at the _tears_ that seemed to run down his cheeks because of the question, and she’d wondered off-and-on when traveling in hyperspace and bored out of her skull about _why_ the clones had turned on their masters but she hadn’t cared enough to find out, but she’d always suspected that Sidious had had something to do with it. He blinked and the tears were gone except for where they dried and froze on his cheeks, “ _Good soldiers follow orders_. There was no choice for us when Order 66 came through. The Kaminoians put a chip in us before we were decanted, and when the Order went out, we had to follow it. Fives tried to warn us, but no one listened to him until it was too late. Rex and some others got free of it and didn’t kill their Padawan-Commander, but most of us didn’t even know. Some of us _tried_ to resist, but most of us failed.”

He stepped forward and met Vos’ eyes squarely, “General Secura’s body was never recovered. I listed her as dead because I _had_ to believe she _was_ , or I would have to hunt her until the end of the universe. I could fight my orders enough for that.”

Vos suddenly looked like he would break out in tears – and Asajj had had _enough_ of that, “You ladies can cry another time, I would rather like we got out of here alive and you’re holding us up.”

She was less than gentle as she pushed Vos to start walking faster, still eyeing Bly warily and not leaving him at her back, but she didn’t go to strike him down. She must have been softening, because once upon a time she would have killed him without hesitation just at his arrival.

The baby Jedi was sure to be blamed for this, that she was showing _pity_.

Vos picked up his pace, but still looked back, “If you aren’t here to kill me, what are you here for Bly?”.

Bly met the Jedi’s eyes for a moment, then raised his blaster and watched their rear as they went forward, “The _vode_ got word you’d been found. I volunteered to join Vader’s Special Commandos to be here. I wanted to at least save you, if I couldn’t have saved General Secura.”

Vos straightened then, and Asajj noted he seemed to have gotten some steel back in his spine because there was something in his eyes that hadn’t been there since the Clone Wars when he'd been the grey-est Shadow, “But not at the cost of your life, Bly. If you join the Force trying to save my life, Aayla will be _most_ displeased with you when you meet her on the other side.”

Bly grinned, and it was full of teeth before he put his bucket back on, “That means you better not dare to march away either, General.”

Asajj rolled her eyes at them, sneering slightly at how fifteen years and a massive betrayal didn’t change the sickening display between a Jedi General and their Clone Commander.

Then she showed her own teeth as a sharp cold wind cut through them, and a jagged cut into one wall of the caves revealed snow and the white outside.

Vos stumbled once they left the caves, and Bly raced forward and caught him before he hit the snow, scooping him up and laying him over his shoulder before sprinting to the half-buried ship barely within sight. Asajj kept easy pace, tuning all of her senses to locating Vader before he came flying out of a blind spot in the signature sneak-attack that he’d been so fond of back when they’d been a different sort of enemies.

They were nearly to the ship when blaster fire sounded out, and she raised her ‘saber to deflect the ones coming at her back just as Vos twirled his own and deflected the ones aimed at Bly.

Asajj laughed when she saw a black suit just as they ran into the ship, far ahead enough not to get caught, then Vos started it up and they rose up.

She saluted her de-activated ‘saber at Vader down there in the snow with a sharp grin.


End file.
